Big Ghost on Campus
by iwant2believe13
Summary: The spirit of a college student attaches itself to Melinda. He seems to be seeking revenge, but who will have to pay for his death? And will Melinda and her friends be able to solve the mystery before anyone else gets hurt?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Here's another story, since everyone seemed to enjoy my last one so much! As usual, no copyright infringements were intended. I don't own Ghost Whisperer, the characters, or the prologue following this note. I'll try to update as frequently as possible. The story is intended to take place in the 4th season, so as of now it's written in the future (as far as the readers are concerned). Hopefully this doesn't confuse anyone. Enjoy!**

* * *

_My name is Melinda Gordon. I'm married, I live in a small town, and I own an antique shop. I might be just like you, except that from the time I was a little girl I knew that I can talk to the dead. Earthbound spirits, my grandmother called them. They're stuck here because they have unfinished business with the living, and they come to me for help. In order to tell you my story, I have to tell you theirs._

* * *

Melinda woke up to the sun shining brightly through her open bedroom window. It was 8:00 AM on October 22nd, 2008. A cool, crisp breeze blew into the room carrying the faint of smell of burning leaves. Melinda smiled; Fall had always been her favorite season. Looking forward to the day ahead, she got out of bed and started getting ready for work. When she went downstairs her husband, Jim, was reading the morning paper in the kitchen. As she entered the room he looked up at her.

"Hey, babe." He said, smiling.

"Hey." She replied, walking over to him and planting a kiss on his forehead before she sat down beside him at the table. "I thought you had to be at work."

Jim glanced at his watch. "I guess I do." He said, standing up. "I just wanted to see you before I left. You want to grab lunch today at noon?"

"Sure. Sounds great." Mel told him.

"Alright then. I'll see you in a few hours." Jim said. He gave her a kiss and then he was out the door. Melinda left a half an hour later, calling Delia at the shop on her way.

"Hello?" Delia answered the phone.

"Hey, it's me." Melinda said. "I'm gonna grab some breakfast at Village Java. You want anything?"

"Hmm." Delia responded. "How about a muffin and a latte?"

"Good choice. I'll be there in a little while."

"Thanks, Mel."

"No problem. Bye."

"Bye."

* * *

Melinda hung up the phone and parked in front of her favorite coffee shop. She walked inside and stood at the end of the annoyingly long line to the counter. While she waited, she spotted a spirit walking through the window. It was a boy who seemed to be around the age of 20, wearing a Rockland University tee shirt and jeans. He looked essentially normal, although he was extremely pale with dark circles under his eyes. Melinda stared for a moment, and then looked away quickly. It was too late, though. He had already seen her.

"You can see me, can't you?" The ghost said, suddenly appearing directly in front of her.

"No." Melinda whispered, careful not to catch anyone's attention. "Go away."

"Nice try." He said. "If you couldn't see me, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"We're not." Melinda said, stepping forward in line.

The ghost wouldn't let up; he continued to follow her. "I need your help."

Melinda tried her best to ignore him, but he kept staring at her and it was starting to wear on her nerves. After a couple of minutes she finally responded.

"This really isn't a good time." She said angrily, forgetting for a moment that she was in public. She was now first in line and the girl working behind the counter gave her a strange look.

"I'm sorry." The girl said cautiously. "Did you want to order something?"

"No." Melinda said nervously. "I mean yes. I wasn't talking to you just now. Just thinking out loud… Sorry about that."

"It's ok." The girl said slowly, and waited for Melinda to order.

"Uh… I'll get one grande latte, one tall caramel macchiato, and two pumpkin spice muffins."

"That will be 12.43." The girl told Melinda. Mel handed over the money and walked around the college-age ghost to wait for her coffees. The ghost remained in one place for a moment and then reappeared right in front of Melinda again.

"They have to own up to what they did." The ghost told Mel angrily.

Melinda was starting to get a headache. Whether it was from the ghost's energy or simply from annoyance she wasn't sure, but she needed him to go away. She put a hand to her forehead. "Who?" She whispered. "Who has to own up?"

The ghost got directly in Melinda's face. "All of them." He said through clenched teeth, and then he disappeared. A woman standing a few feet away dropped her coffee on the ground, and Melinda grabbed a wad of napkins to help clean it up. Kneeling down, she started to dab at the spilled beverage.

"Oh my God. Thank you so much, I don't know what's wrong with me." The woman said to Melinda.

Mel smiled. "Don't worry, It happens." She said. Then she stopped for a moment. In the center of the puddle of spilled coffee, she saw letters beginning to form: O P E. Her forehead creased with confusion. _OPE? _She thought. _What the hell is OPE?_

The woman noticed Melinda's expression and broke her out of her trance. "Are you alright?" The woman asked.

Melinda looked at her. "Yeah. Sorry, I guess my mind is somewhere else today."

"It happens." The woman laughed.

After cleaning up the mess and grabbing the pastries and coffee, Melinda got in her car and drove to her store, "Same as It Never Was Antiques."

Delia was putting some new merchandise on the shelves when Melinda walked in. "Hi.' she said. "That took a while. Busy morning?"

Melinda handed Delia the coffee and wrapped muffin. "You have no idea." She told her.

After enjoying their breakfast, the two women got back to work.

* * *

A couple of hours went by and Melinda and Delia had finally finished putting all of the new items away. With nothing else to do for the moment, Delia covered the counter and Mel went into the back room to do some personal research online. She had a feeling that this ghost wasn't going to leave her alone until she helped him, so she decided that she might as well start working on the case as soon as possible.

With what little information she had, her best bet would be to search the college website, since the ghost apparently attended Rockland. She started out by looking at the newspaper page and campus police reports. It took her nearly an hour, but finally she came across something. The article read: 'Lucas Burns, age 20, died of alcohol poisoning on September 17th, 2008. Police and paramedics were called to the scene at 10:25 PM. Student was rushed to Mercy Hospital, however he was declared dead on arrival. His personal affects were collected by parents Jason and Angela Burns.' Melinda looked at the picture; it was definitely the ghost she had seen. She jotted down the parents' names on a small pad of light green paper, and proceeded to look them up in Grandview's online phonebook. _I might have to pay them a visit later if I can't get any more information out of Lucas. _She thought. She glanced at the clock on her computer; it was 11:45. Jim would be meeting her in 15 minutes. She got up from her chair and went back out into the main area of the store.

"Hey." Delia said. "I boxed up some of the stuff we need to inventory. Where do you want it?"

Melinda walked over to the box and picked it up. "I'll take it to the basement. Thanks, Delia."

"Mmm-hmm." Delia mumbled, looking in the mirror behind the counter while she ran her fingers through her hair.

Melinda carried the large box towards the stairs. She was about to descend into the basement when Lucas the ghost appeared right in front of her, almost causing her to drop the box.

"Lucas!" Melinda cried out, jumping with surprise. "Please don't do that."

Lucas glared at her angrily but said nothing. He was giving off a lot of negative energy, causing Melinda to feel nervous and slightly ill. She adjusted the box in her arms.

"I read about how you died." Melinda said a bit anxiously. "Alcohol poisoning. You want to tell me what happened that night?"

"You're going about this the wrong way." Lucas said darkly. "I don't want you talking to them."

"I don't understand." Mel said. "You said that they all need to own up to what they did. Who don't you want me talking to? You have to give me more to go on here."

A sudden gust of air came at Melinda, causing her to drop the box at her feet. She jumped aside quickly, and Lucas reappeared behind her. She spun around to face him. "Stop it!" Mel demanded.

Lucas was nose to nose with Melinda. His eyes were cold and hateful, and his jaw was clenched with rage. "Don't bother them!" He shouted. Melinda stumbled and before she could catch herself she was falling down the stairs. She let out a high pitched scream. It was the last thing she was aware of before making impact.


	2. Chapter 2

Delia was still behind the counter when she heard Melinda scream. In a heartbeat she was rushing towards the basement. She stopped for a moment at the top of the stairs when she saw Melinda sprawled out at the bottom, unmoving.

"Oh my God…. Melinda!" She exclaimed. She hurried down the stairs and sank to the floor next to Mel. Delia looked at her, fearing the worst. Her eyes were closed, and her head was turned to one side. She was bleeding from a wound on the back of her skull and her arm was twisted at a strange angle. With trembling fingers, Delia gently touched her hand. She knew better than to move her, in case there was any sort of spinal injury, but she had to make sure that she was alive.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jim was approaching his wife's store to meet her for their lunch date. He walked through the door and found the room empty.

"Hello?" He shouted. "Mel?"

He was about to start looking around when he heard Delia yelling.

"Jim!!" She screamed. "Help!"

Jim followed the sound of her voice and ran to the basement. When he saw Melinda his heart nearly stopped. In one swift motion he dashed down the stairs and kneeled beside her, opposite Delia. His eyes wide with panic, he looked at his wife and then glanced at Delia.

"What happened?" He asked.

"I didn't see." Delia said. Her voice broke and tears started flowing. "I heard her scream, and I found her like this. I think she fell down the stairs."

Jim fumbled for his phone in his pocket. He flipped it open and hit speed dial to reach the station. "Tim." He said quickly. "Get the ambulance to Melinda's store NOW. There's been an accident." He hung up and dropped the phone on the ground. He then took Melinda's hand in his and felt for a pulse in her wrist.

"Melinda?" He said, trying to wake her. "I need you to wake up. Come on, honey, open your eyes." His voice was wavering. Things weren't looking very good. Her heart was still beating, but her pulse was erratic. She was breathing, but it was shallow and constricted. He carefully tilted her head so that her neck was straight, and he kept his hands on either side of her face to keep her spine stabilized.

Jim heard Melinda take a quick intake of breath. His heart leapt; she was waking up. "Mel." He said. "Can you hear me?"

Melinda's eyes slowly fluttered open. For a moment she was confused; her eyes wouldn't focus and she didn't know where she was. She blinked a few times and then she started to make out Jim's worried face hovering above her.

Jim looked into Mel's eyes. They were glazed and her pupils were dilated. He tried to remain calm, but he was having a lot of difficulty doing so.

"Hey." He said shakily. "Talk to me, Mel. Do you know where you are?"

Melinda began to recall what had happened, and all at once she realized the excruciating pain she was in. She began to shake, and found it hard to catch her breath.

"Jim." She whispered anxiously.

Jim's hands continued to brace Melinda's head and neck. "Mel, you're going into shock. You need to keep breathing."

"It hurts." She whispered tearfully.

"I know, babe. It's gonna be okay. Help is coming." Jim assured her. He heard the ambulance outside, followed by the 'ding' of the front door opening.

"Down here!" Jim yelled to his coworkers. "I need some oxygen and a backboard!"

A moment later Tim and Will ran down the stairs carrying the necessary equipment. Tim and Delia locked eyes for a moment before he attended to Melinda.

"What's going on?" Tim asked.

Delia stood and backed away so the men would have enough room to do their work. "She fell down the stairs." Delia told them. "She was unconscious when I found her."

Will placed a brace around Melinda's neck and applied pressure to her head wound with a few gauze pads; then he and Tim gently lifted her onto the backboard. Jim kept talking to her in an effort to keep her as calm as possible.

"We're taking you to the hospital, Mel. I'm gonna ride with you in the ambulance. I'll be right here… I promise, I'm not going anywhere."

Melinda was only half-conscious and a bit delirious. She struggled to keep her eyes open. "Lucas…" She whispered.

"What?" Jim asked. "Who's Lucas?"

Mel closed her eyes and gasped. It hurt to breath. Her entire body ached unbearably. Jim grabbed an oxygen mask as Will and Tim picked up the backboard and started carrying her up the stairs. Jim walked alongside them.

"Look at me, honey." Jim said. Melinda opened her eyes and stared up at her husband. He placed the oxygen mask over her nose and mouth and caressed her hair.

"You're going to be alright." He said softly.

* * *

They made it to the hospital in record time. As soon as they got Melinda into the emergency room the doctors took over and rushed her into surgery. Jim paced around the waiting room restlessly. Delia had followed the ambulance to the hospital and now she sat in one of the plastic chairs, her head in her hands. Jim looked at her and took a seat beside her.

"How are you doing?" He asked her.

Delia looked up wearily and shook her head. "I should have taken that box to the basement myself. I should have at least helped her. I feel like this is all my fault." She said. Her eyes welled up with tears and she sighed deeply.

"Hey." Jim said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "It was an accident. Don't do this to yourself."

Delia wiped away her tears and took a deep breath. "Do you think she'll be okay?" She asked quietly.

Jim felt a lump forming in his throat. He leaned over, resting his elbows on his knees, and glanced towards the double doors leading to the surgery area. He was afraid for his wife. He could only hope that the damage wasn't as bad at it looked. "I don't know." He whispered. Then something occurred to him. Sitting back, he turned towards Delia. "Do you have any idea who Lucas is?"

"Lucas?" She asked.

"Yeah." Jim said. "Melinda said the name Lucas. I thought maybe you might know who that is."

"No." Delia said thoughtfully. "I don't know."

Jim searched his brain for any memory of that name, but he could come up with nothing. He rubbed his eyes dejectedly and continued to wait for any news on Melinda's condition.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Here's the update I promised! Thanks for all the reviews, I appreciate your feedback! Expect the next update near the end of the weekend or early next week.**

* * *

After what seemed like a lifetime, a doctor came out to speak with Jim and Delia. Jim quickly stood to meet the middle-aged man, who introduced himself as Dr. Burns.

"How is she?" Jim asked worriedly.

Dr. Burns glanced down at his chart and then looked Jim in the eyes. "She's pretty banged up… Dislocated shoulder, three broken ribs, a slipped disc in the thoracic region… We've corrected most of the damage surgically, however our main concern right now is her head. She sustained a pretty serious concussion in the fall, and as I see in her records here, it's about the third significant head injury she's received in the past couple of years. As a paramedic, I'm sure you know that the damage caused by concussions is cumulative…"

"Yes." Jim whispered, finding it hard to speak. "So what does that mean? Will she be alright?"

Dr. Burns cleared his throat. "As of right now she's relatively fine. We're giving her medication for the pain and monitoring her closely."

"But..?" Jim prompted, knowing that there was more to what the doctor was telling him.

"But we'll need to keep her here for at least a week in case we run into any delayed onset of neurological disturbances." The doctor finished.

Jim nodded. "Okay." He said softly. "Can we see her?"

"Of course." Dr. Burns replied, and he showed them the way to Melinda's room.

* * *

Jim and Delia walked into the room. Melinda was sleeping soundly in the small hospital bed; her arm was in a sling and she had a gauze band wrapped around her head. She was hooked up to a heart monitor and it beeped rhythmically, confirming that she was alive. It was oddly comforting to Jim… He had come too close to losing her too many times. He and Delia sat in the chairs set up beside her bed. Jim moved closer to her and leaned over, kissing her on the cheek. He held her hand and looked at her lovingly, cursing the fact that she had to endure so much pain.

"Do you think there will be any permanent damage?" Delia asked quietly.

Jim kept his eyes glued on Mel. "It's hard to say." He murmured, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. "She's been through so much…"

Delia folded her hands in her lap and looked down at the ground. She would never fully understand Melinda's gift, and she would always have a hard time accepting the truth about the afterlife. But she cared for her friend very much and she hated watching her suffer because of her abilities.

After some time, Delia stood up from her seat. "I need to walk around for a while and get some fresh air… I might grab some coffee while I'm up, you want any?" She said.

Jim looked at her tiredly. "No thanks, I'm alright for now."

Delia sighed. She'd never known anyone to love a person as much as Jim loves Melinda. She knew that as long as Mel was in the hospital, Jim wouldn't rest. She only wished that he would take better care of himself. She left Jim alone with Mel and went outside onto the hospital campus. She needed to escape for a while.

* * *

Jim kept his post at Melinda's bedside, clinging to her hand as if it were his lifeline. He stared at her, lost in thought, when she began to stir. She softly groaned, bringing Jim's awareness back to reality. He leaned slightly forward and gently squeezed her hand.

"Mel?" He said quietly.

Melinda turned her head as she struggled to open her eyes. She focused on Jim. She could see the concern etched on his face and it filled her with mixed emotions; she was so deeply in love with him, and yet she felt unrelenting guilt at the constant worry she caused him. She felt him squeeze her hand and she weakly returned the gesture.

"Hi." She whispered. "Are you okay?"

Jim chuckled. "Am _I _okay?" He said, stroking her cheek with the back of his hand. "I'm not the one who fell down a flight of stairs." His smile faded as his worry once again took over. "Do you remember anything?" He asked.

Melinda thought for a moment. _I remember going to work this morning, and stopping at Village Java on the way… I remember putting the new items away. _And then it came back to her. _Lucas. I was talking to Lucas when I fell._

"Mel?" Jim prodded when she was slow to respond.

"Lucas." Melinda said softly, barely aware that she had spoken out loud.

"Who's Lucas?" Jim asked. "You mentioned that name before…"

Melinda stared up at Jim. "He's a spirit I met this morning. I'm trying to help him." She said.

Jim tried to keep his growing suspicions under control. "Did he do this to you?" He asked anxiously. "Is he trying to hurt you?"

Melinda shook her head, and then wished that she hadn't. The sudden movement sent sharp pain shooting through her skull. She flinched and let out a small cry.

Jim noticed the sudden change, and lightly touched her forehead. "Hey." He said. "Are you alright?"

Melinda took a deep breath. The pain faded almost as quickly as it had hit. "Yeah." She said a bit dazedly. "Sorry."

"How do you feel?" Jim asked.

Melinda's eyes met his. She wanted so badly to tell him that she felt fine, but the truth was she had never felt worse. "I've been better." She told him.

Jim leaned in close and kissed her softly. "I hate seeing you like this." He said. "You've had too many close calls."

"I know." Mel said. "But this was an accident. I just lost my balance and fell."

"Are you sure?" Jim asked.

"I'm positive. I was talking to the ghost at the time, but he really had nothing to do with it. It was just bad luck."

Jim nodded.

"So when can I go home?" Melinda asked.

"The doctor wants to keep you for a while." Jim told her. "They're worried about you having another brain injury."

Melinda's face fell. "But I'm fine." She protested.

"You're not fine, Mel." Jim said seriously. "You're lucky to be alive. It would be crazy for you to be released in this condition."

Melinda pouted, obviously hating the fact that she would have to stay for longer than she wished. Jim's face softened, and he spoke to her caringly.

"I will be here with you every day. You don't have to do this alone. But you need to give yourself a break. You're have some serious injuries. You can't be pushing yourself like this. I won't let you."

She looked at him unhappily. "I just can't stand sitting here doing nothing."

"It's not nothing." Jim said. "You help people every day of your life. It's time for you to help yourself."

Melinda put her hand on Jim's arm and pulled him close to her. She kissed him tenderly.

"I love you." She said, her lips still brushing his. Jim deepened the kiss, and they only broke away from one another when they heard footsteps approaching the room. Jim leaned back and took Melinda's hand in his.

The door opened and Delia entered carrying a cup of coffee in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. "I got you some water…" She started, but paused when she saw Melinda.

"Hey." Delia said brightly. "You're awake."

Melinda smiled. "Hey." She replied.

Delia rushed over and sat down. "How are you doing?" She asked.

"I'm alright." Mel said.

Delia looked at her friend, relieved to see her alive and awake. "Melinda…" She said. "Promise me you won't ever scare me like that again."

Melinda laughed. "I'll try my best."

Delia stayed with Jim and Melinda until late into the evening, at which point she decided she had better get home to Ned. She promised to return in the morning, and with a heartfelt goodbye she left the hospital.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: I apologize profusely that it has taken me so long to update! Things have been really crazy the last couple of weeks. Anyway, here's a new chapter! Sorry it's a bit uneventful. I promise I'll keep updating as much as possible.**

* * *

Jim stayed with Melinda the rest of the night. The pain medication made her drowsy so she was in and out of awareness, but it comforted her to know that Jim would always be there when she woke up. He barely slept at all; he would only allow himself to doze off for an hour or less at a time. He knew that she still wasn't quite out of the woods yet. The severity of her concussion meant that she could take an abrupt turn for the worse at any time. He needed to stay awake to keep an eye on her. If anything went wrong, he wanted to be the first to know. It would take a crane to remove him from her bedside.

* * *

Early in the morning the doctor came by to check on Melinda. She was propped up in bed; she had been awake for twenty minutes already trying to convince Jim to go home for awhile, but to no avail. The doctor approached her bed and outstretched his hand in salutation.

"Hi, Melinda. I believe this is the first time I've seen you awake. My name is Dr. Jason Burns and I've been taking care of you here."

Melinda weakly shook his hand, and a realization hit her. "I'm sorry." She said. "What did you say your name is?"

"Dr. Jason Burns." He repeated. "How are you feeling today?"

Melinda barely heard his question as she was deep in thought. _Jason Burns. The paper had Lucas's father listed as Jason Burns. This can't just be a coincidence…_

While Melinda zoned out, Dr. Burns looked at her questioningly and then glanced at Jim who's expression was one of concern.

"Melinda?" Dr. Burns asked, trying to get her attention.

Mel looked at him, realizing that he had spoken to her. "What?" She asked.

"Are you feeling alright?" He asked as he studied her carefully.

"Yeah… I'm okay…" She said distractedly. She was still thinking about whether or not she should mention Lucas to Dr. Burns. She was obviously put in this position for a reason. For now she would just have to wait it out and see what happens; she wasn't going to bring anything up this soon after meeting him.

Dr. Burns and Jim looked at each other briefly; both had noticed Melinda's inattentiveness. Dr. Burns reached in his chest pocket and pulled out a small light. Pulling up a chair beside Melinda, he held it out and raised his other hand so his index finger was level with her eyes.

"Melinda, I'm going to take look at your eyes. Can you focus on my finger? This is going to be a little bright." He said, shining the light into one eye and then the other.

Melinda obeyed. When the doctor was finished, he pulled out a pen and wrote something down in her chart.

"Your pupils are still a bit sluggish." Dr. Burns said. "But that's not uncommon so soon after an injury like this." He put the chart aside and held out his hand again to Melinda. "Now I want you to squeeze my hand as hard as you can." He said. After she did so, he nodded and wrote in his chart again. He asked some more questions and did some more small tests before standing up and making his way to the foot of her bed.

"Well." He said. "Keep resting, and I'll be back to check on you later."

Melinda nodded. None of his tests had been even remotely difficult, but she suddenly felt exhausted. She found herself struggling to keep her eyes open. Jim, on the other hand, was restless. He was familiar with the doctor's procedures, and he wanted to know how Melinda had done. When Dr. Burns simply left the room, Jim announced to Mel that he had to use the restroom and made his way to the hall.

* * *

"Dr. Burns." Jim called as he caught up with him.

Dr. Burns turned to face Jim and smiled. "Mr. Clancy." He said.

"How is she?" Jim asked. "How did she do?"

"Well, she's not doing quite as well as I would have hoped." Dr. Burns admitted. "She's less responsive than she should be, and she seems a bit disoriented. She's also very weak. As I said before, these aren't uncommon symptoms after a fall like she's had, but they also aren't anything to take lightly."

"Right." Jim said. "So is there anything I can do?"

"We're doing everything that can be done right now. Just stay with her, keep an eye on her, and if anything changes, let me know."

Jim nodded and watched as Dr. Burns walked away. He ran a hand through his hair and went back into Melinda's room. Sitting back down in the chair beside her bed, he took her hand in both of his. She had already fallen asleep since he'd been gone. His heart swelled with emotion as he gazed at her. Even battered and bruised she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. It would never cease to amaze him how one person can go through so much and still be such an incredible human being. Her entire life she's been to hell and back with all the spirits she's ever crossed over, and nothing's ever proved to be too much for her to handle. Even in the worst situations, she still wants to help. He leaned over and lightly kissed her forehead before resting his own head beside her shoulder on the bed. In less than a minute he had drifted to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Melinda found herself in a strange dream.

_She was in a house surrounded by people. Everything was blurry so she couldn't make out any of the faces clearly, except for one. It was Lucas. He was sitting at a table with a dozen other guys. Everyone was shouting. It was so loud that Melinda had to cover her ears to ease the throbbing in her head. Everything was getting fuzzier and fuzzier. Lucas picked up what looked like a large glass filled with an unknown fluid. He began to drink from it. The room started spinning. Melinda felt dizzy and realized she was falling._

Melinda awoke with a gasp and sat up quickly. Lucas was standing at the end of her bed, but she was unable to speak. She was in excruciating pain. Her head felt as if it was going to explode, and the pain seemed to be getting worse every second. She clutched at her forehead and squeezed her eyes tightly shut.

* * *

Jim woke up as soon as he felt Melinda's movement. He put his arm around her back and noticed that she was shaking. Her heart monitor beeped erratically, and Jim tried to force back the panic that was beginning to overwhelm him.

"Mel? What's wrong?" He asked anxiously. He watched as she held her head in obvious pain, and he hit the nurse call button before wrapping his arms around her tightly. He gently put one hand on the side of her head and unconsciously rocked back and forth with her. "It's okay." He said. "It's okay, you'll be alright."

He studied her fearfully. Her eyes were closed and there were tears streaming down her face. He didn't know what was happening but he could tell she was suffering.

* * *

Melinda was terrified. She'd never felt such intense pain before; it was almost too much to bear. She could sense that Jim was holding her, although she had a hard time feeling anything but the acute aching in her head. She couldn't hear anything but a dull buzzing sound in her ears. She opened her eyes a bit and saw that Lucas was still standing there. He glared at her angrily, his eyes dark and menacing. She wasn't entirely sure, but she had a feeling that he was somehow causing her pain.

"Go away!" Melinda cried breathlessly. "Leave me alone!"

Jim looked to where Mel was staring. "What? Mel, what's happening?" He asked.

"You're hurting me." Mel sobbed. She began to slouch forward, but Jim continued to hold on to her. He tightened his grasp as she shook violently in his arms, crying in pain.

"Hold on, Mel." Jim murmured. "Stay with me."

Dr. Burns rushed in with a nurse following closely behind him. He hurried to Melinda's bed and put his hand on her shoulder.

"What happened?" He asked Jim.

"I don't know. She just woke up like this." Jim said quickly, loosening his grasp on her. "Can you give her something for the pain?"

Dr. Burns braced Melinda's back as he and Jim helped her lay down. She was still shaking and began to thrash around restlessly. Jim held her the best he could as the doctor took a syringe from the nurse and administered it through Melinda's IV.

"What are you giving her?" Jim asked.

"It's a derivative of morphine." Dr. Burns told him. "It should block most of the pain and calm her down a bit."

Within seconds Melinda began to relax. Her heart rate slowed, she stopped moving around, and her shaking ceased; although she was still breathing heavily. She appeared to have fallen asleep, so Dr. Burns and the nurse left, telling Jim to notify them if there were anymore problems.

* * *

Jim held Melinda's hand and stroked her hair affectionately. Leaning in close, he whispered in her ear, "I love you, Mel… Please get better for me."

Mel opened her eyes and looked at her husband. "I'm fine." She whispered wearily.

Jim was startled for a moment; he hadn't realized she was still awake. He kissed her tenderly and gave her a small smile. "You really had me scared there." He said softly.

"I'm sorry." Mel replied.

"It's okay." Jim whispered. "So what happened?"

"I'm not sure." Mel said; her words somewhat slurred, as she was feeling the effects of the morphine. "I had a strange dream, and when I woke up… I was in terrible pain."

"I could tell." Jim said. "You were yelling at someone to go away… I'm hoping that wasn't meant for me."

Melinda smiled. "Never." She whispered. "It was Lucas. He was here… I think he was making this all happen."

"I thought you said that this ghost wasn't trying to hurt you." Jim said with concern.

"I know." Mel said. " And I still don't think he is. I just don't understand this one. He looks so angry, but I really don't think he means any harm."

Jim thought for a moment. Sighing, he touched Melinda's face.

"Maybe you ought to back off from this one." He said quietly. "At least until you're better. I just don't think you're in any condition right now to deal with this guy."

Mel was getting sleepy again. All the medication she was on was making it very difficult for her to stay awake for any length of time. She didn't even have the energy to argue.

"Maybe you're right." She whispered.

Jim was taken aback. Melinda never agreed with him when it came to not helping a spirit. He wasn't sure what to think.

"What?" Jim asked, making sure that he'd heard her correctly.

Melinda sighed and closed her eyes. "Maybe I should let this one go…." She softly trailed off. By the time her thought was out, so was she. She had fallen back asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: AT LONG LAST! I am so, so sorry that it's taken me this long to update. I just moved across the country, and it's been an incredibly stressful and busy time. But now I'm settled, and I can resume my writing! I hope you like the chapter. It's a little bit shorter, but I hope to make up for it in the next chapter (which I'll try my hardest to post in the next few days). Read and review; and ENJOY!**

* * *

When Melinda woke up, she found that her room was empty. She sat up and looked around, but Jim was nowhere in sight. Growing nervous, she tried to reason with herself; _He probably just left for a second to go to the restroom or to get something to drink. He wouldn't just leave without telling me…. Would he? I wanted him to go home and rest, but I really don't want to be left alone here. Where is he?_

Melinda's thoughts were interrupted when a nurse walked into her room.

"Ms. Gordon, you're awake. How are you feeling?" The nurse asked.

"Have you seen my husband?" Melinda said quickly.

The nurse thought about it for a moment, and then shook her head. "No, I'm sorry." She replied, placing a cuff around Melinda's upper arm to measure her blood pressure. She was taking the reading when Jim walked back into the room.

"Hey, Mel." He said, smiling, as he returned to his wife's bedside.

"Hi." Melinda said with relief. "Where did you go?"

"Your mom called." He told her. "I didn't want to wake you, so I went outside to take the call. She wanted to check in and make sure you're alright."

"She's not coming down here, is she?" Mel asked.

Jim just looked at her helplessly.

"Jiiim…" She whined. "Why? There's no reason for her to come here."

The nurse interrupted. "Ms. Gordon, you're blood pressure's a bit elevated; I'm going to need you to lie back down."

Melinda frowned and complied reluctantly. Jim craned his neck to look at the BP gauge.

"What? Why is it elevated?" He asked anxiously.

The nurse flashed Jim a sympathetic smile. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. The medications she's on can have this effect."

Jim nodded.

"Oh, and Dr. Burns has ordered another CAT scan." The nurse added, "After what happened this morning… He just wants to make sure nothing has changed."

"Alright." Jim said, failing to notice Melinda's confused expression. "When do they want to do it?"

The nurse looked at Melinda's chart. "Right now they have her down for 4:00."

Jim looked at his watch; it was 12:09. He watched the nurse leave the room, and then he looked at Melinda, who was staring at him questioningly.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"After what happened this morning?" Melinda asked. "What happened this morning?"

Jim searched her face for a moment, and took her hand in his. "You don't remember?" He asked with concern.

Melinda tried to think back, but the last thing she could remember before waking up was Dr. Burns' exam early this morning. She doubted that's what the nurse was referring to, and she looked at Jim fearfully, expecting the worst.

Jim sighed. "You woke up earlier, shaking and holding your head like you were in terrible pain. You were talking to someone, I think this ghost you were telling me about; you were telling him to leave you alone. The doctor had to give you a shot of morphine… You were just delirious with pain." Jim said softly. "But after that, you were talking to me. You seemed coherent; I don't understand why you can't remember."

"The medication?" Mel asked. "The nurse said it could raise my blood pressure. Could it cause memory loss too?"

"I don't think so, Mel. I've never heard of any painkillers causing memory loss."

Jim tried desperately not to show Melinda how scared he was. Granted, the memory loss could be simply due to the fact that she was practically half-asleep when it happened; but it could also mean that her head injury is worse than they'd expected. He could only hope for the former. He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. She grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him closer, kissing him back. He sat back up and looked at her adoringly.

As if she could read his mind, Melinda smiled and told Jim, "Don't be worried. I'm sure it's nothing."

Jim smiled back at her, and brushed her hair away from her face. No more words needed to be said. They sat in silence, simply enjoying each others' company.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Well, I said that I'd make up for the previous short chapter, and I think that I did, because this is a long one! I'm sorry if it's boring with all of the dialogue. Read and review! I hope you like it!**

* * *

Jim waited in Melinda's room while she was taken to the Radiology ward for a CAT Scan. He had taken Dr. Burns aside earlier to tell him about the memory loss Mel had experienced; the doctor told him to try not to worry about it until they got the results of the scan back, as it could be a number of things causing it.

Fifteen minutes had passed when Jim heard quick footsteps approaching the room. Beth Gordon rushed in, looked at Jim, and looked at the empty bed worriedly.

"Where is she?" She asked.

"They took her for a CT scan." Jim replied. "Well…. Another one." He added.

Beth shook her head with mild frustration. "How bad is she?"

Jim stared at her, trying to find the words to say. Understanding his silence, Beth just nodded and sat down in the second chair beside the hospital bed. They sat in silence for a moment before Jim spoke.

"You know, I used to think that I could protect her. That I could keep her safe; keep her from getting hurt like this. But I'm not so sure anymore." He said, looking at the floor despondently. "Stuff like this just keeps happening more and more, and it's out of my power to do anything about it."

He looked up at Beth, his eyes full of pain and fear, his voice wavering. "I'm just **so **scared that one of these days… I'm gonna lose her. I mean, **really **lose her. And I know I couldn't live with myself if that ever happened. I couldn't take it."

Beth sighed. "Jim." She said. "Melinda has been dealing with things like this since she was a child. That's why I hated that she has this… gift…. so much. But I've realized - especially recently - that Melinda seems to have someone watching over her and protecting her. Maybe it's because of what she does, and how important it is. Maybe it's just because she's loved by so many people. But it seems like no matter what happens, she always pulls through. I don't think that will ever change."

Jim nodded and smiled weakly. Beth stood up and went to his side, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Remember a few years ago when Melinda fell in the woods and went into a coma?" Beth asked.

"Yeah." Jim whispered.

"After she got out of the hospital, she told me that the thing that kept her from going into the light was you. She heard your voice, and it brought her back." Beth said with a small smile. "I know you feel like you can't protect her; but you do. You do it every day. I couldn't ask for more for my daughter than what you bring her. I think **you're** the reason she always pulls through."

Jim patted Beth's hand, which was still resting on his shoulder, and looked her in the eyes.

"Thank you." He said softly.

"Thank **you**." She replied.

* * *

Melinda returned from Radiology a few minutes later. The nurse pushed her into the room in a wheelchair, and Jim helped her get back into bed. She spoke with her mom for awhile, assuring her that everything was fine, and insisting that she really didn't have to make the trip to Grandview to see her.

"What kind of mother would I be if I didn't come to see my daughter in the hospital?" Beth said.

"I'm just saying, it's a long way to drive to see me when I'm perfectly fine." Melinda stated.

Beth chuckled. "Perfectly fine?"

"Oh God. Here we go." Melinda mumbled quietly. Jim couldn't help but laugh at the mother-daughter bickering.

"Perfectly fine?" Beth repeated. "Look at yourself!"

"Kind of hard to do when I'm not allowed to get out of bed." Mel pointed out.

"You look like you've been through the wringer!" Beth said.

"Thanks, Mom."

"They wouldn't be keeping you a week if you were 'perfectly fine'" Beth finished.

"Okay." Melinda barked. "I get the point."

Beth's face softened. "Anyway, I've missed you. I haven't seen you in weeks." She said.

Melinda said nothing. She was too annoyed with her mother's insistence on being there to be moved by her nice words. Jim knew exactly what Melinda was thinking, and took it upon himself to deal with the situation properly.

"Beth, you've got to be tired from the drive. Why don't you go back to our house for a while? I'm assuming you'll be staying there for few days?" Jim said.

"Yes." Beth answered. "And you're right, I am sort of tired. I'll take my stuff there, rest for a while, and I'll be back in a few hours." She got to her feet, and bent over to kiss her daughter on the head. "You need your rest too, dear."

Melinda forced a polite smile.

"Jim, is there anything you need at the house while I'm there? Clothes, food, anything?" Beth asked.

"Actually, if you could grab me a change of clothes, that'd be great, Beth. Thanks."

Beth nodded and left the room. Jim turned back to Melinda, who rolled her eyes. Jim smiled and chuckled.

"What?" He asked.

"She is so difficult!" Mel exclaimed.

"Hmm… Kinda sounds like somebody else I know." Jim said jokingly.

Melinda playfully slapped his arm, and he grabbed her hand and held it.

"I just don't like her dropping everything to take care of me. It's bad enough when you do it…" She said with a smile.

"I love dropping everything to take care of you." Jim said sweetly, returning the smile.

"Yeah, yeah…" Mel said, and then stopped, the smile fading from her face as her eyes grew wide. Lucas had appeared in the back corner of the room. He was sitting on the ground, hugging his knees to his chest. He looked so sad and scared.

Jim saw Melinda's abrupt change in expression and leaned forward worriedly. "Mel? You okay?" He asked.

Melinda didn't respond. She barely heard Jim, as she was struggling to listen to what Lucas was saying.

"You can't tell him." He said quietly. "He can't know I'm here…"

"Who?" Melinda asked. "Your father?"

Lucas looked up at her with dark intensity in his eyes. In a flash, Melinda found herself in a vision.

_She was in a house. There were college-age guys all around her. Nearly all of them were wearing green tee shirts that said O__PE in Greek lettering.__ 'A fraternity?' Melinda thought. She made her way through the crowd to a table of guys in a dining area. There were cans of beer, bottles of alcohol, and glasses covering the table. In the center was a circle of playing cards surrounding a tall glass filled with what looked like a mix of various hard liquors. She recognized Lucas among the guys. He reached out to draw a card from the circle and one of the other guys nudged his arm, making him scatter the cards. "Great job, Burns, you broke the circle!" One guy said. "You know what you have to do," another chimed in. _

_Lucas looked around nervously as the guys began to chant. "DRINK! DRINK! DRINK! DRINK!" With trembling hands, Lucas reached for the tall glass in the middle of the table. Before he took it, a few guys poured more alcohol into it, filling it to the brim. Lucas picked it up, hesitated, and then he began to drink._

Melinda gasped as she returned to reality. She slowly sat up. She could feel Jim's hand on her back; he was still holding her hand with the other.

"Mel?" He said with concern.

"He was in a fraternity…" Mel said distractedly.

"What?" Jim asked.

Melinda looked at him with glassy eyes and was suddenly hit by a terrible wave of nausea. "Jim?" She said.

"Yeah?"

"I think I'm gonna be sick." She said shakily, putting a hand over her mouth.

Jim quickly stood up and reached for a pink basin that was sitting beside her bed. He brought it up to her just in time; she began to vomit into it. He stood by her side, holding the basin with one hand and gently rubbing her back with the other. Tears were streaming down her face as she violently heaved and coughed.

"It's okay." Jim whispered.

After she was finished emptying her stomach, Jim placed the basin back on the floor, handed Mel a couple of tissues to wipe her face with, and poured her a glass of ice water from the pitcher on her bedside table. Melinda took the glass with shaking hands; Jim keeping his hand over hers the whole time, just in case.

"Take slow sips." Jim said.

Melinda took a few sips and handed the glass back to Jim. She let out a shaky breath, and looked at him apologetically.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"I think so…" Mel said weakly. "I just felt so sick all of a sudden."

Jim moved her hair away from her forehead, and realized she was really warm, and there were beads of sweat gathering at her hairline.

"Lay down." He said softly. "I'm gonna call the nurse."

He hit the nurse call button, and raised the head of Mel's bed a bit so she wasn't lying completely flat.

"You don't have to, Jim." Melinda said hoarsely. "I'm really alright now."

"Shhh." Jim said. "You feel warm, I just want to make sure everything's okay."

The nurse came in a moment later and checked Melinda's blood pressure and temperature. Both were a little bit higher than they should be, so the nurse said she would tell the doctor. She explained that it was likely that Melinda was simply reacting badly to the painkillers, so a change in prescription would probably solve the problem; however, Jim wasn't so sure. After cleaning up the area around Melinda's bed, the nurse left. Jim continued to talk to Melinda.

"So you wanna tell me what happened before?" Jim asked "You completely zoned out on me for a few minutes."

"I had a vision." Melinda said.

"Same ghost as before?" Jim asked.

"Yeah. I think he was in a fraternity, or at least trying to get into one. He was at a party, playing some kind of drinking game, and the other guys made him drink a giant glass of all kinds of alcohol mixed together."

"Sounds like fun." Jim said, grinning. Melinda shot him a glare. "Sorry." He added.

Melinda sighed. "I just hope this ghost doesn't bother me when my mother is here, I'd like to be spared the lectures." She said wearily. "When is she supposed to get here, by the way?"

Jim looked at her with a mix of confusion and concern. "Mel…" He said slowly. "She was just here about 45 minutes ago. Do you not remember?"

Melinda searched Jim's face to discern if he was joking or not; she realized he wasn't. Nervously, she shook her head. Jim looked at her, an overwhelming feeling of dread was growing in the pit of his stomach. He tightened his grip on her hand and prayed that things weren't getting worse.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: New Chapter! Yay! Just as a warning, Fall semester has officially begun, so I'm not sure how much time I'll have to write anymore :( But…. I will try my very hardest to update in a timely manner. Read and review! You're feedback is always great motivation to help me keep writing.**

* * *

Two days passed and Melinda was still suffering from bouts of nausea and lapses in memory. Dr. Burns had run every test possible to find the cause, but all the tests had nothing to show. Mel's CT Scan and MRI both showed that the swelling in her brain from the concussion was healing properly, so that wasn't the cause of her problems.

Dr. Burns was at a loss, Jim was worried sick, and Melinda was scared and confused about what was happening to her. All that they could do was wait to see if the symptoms would pass.

Meanwhile, Melinda hadn't seen Lucas since the last vision she'd had; not that she could remember, at least. She was still debating whether or not to question Dr. Burns about him, but she had a feeling it was best not to. She hadn't even told Jim yet about the fact that her doctor was her ghost's father. Jim was still convinced that Lucas was to blame for her suffering, and Melinda feared that if Jim knew the irony of the situation, it would only make him more upset.

* * *

Jim sat beside Melinda in her hospital room, holding her hand. They were watching the small TV that was mounted on the wall opposite her bed; the only channel that came in clearly was one that seemed to only play re-runs of the old show "Party of Five." Neither of them had spoken for a while, even though neither of them were really paying attention to the show. Finally, Melinda spoke up.

"Do I really have to stay here for two more days?" She said with exasperation "All my tests came back fine. I just don't understand why they're still keeping me here."

"They're still trying to get to the bottom of this memory loss and nausea you keep feeling. You know that." Jim said.

"Oh yeah. I forgot." Mel answered, with a small grin.

Jim looked at her seriously. "Not funny." He said.

"Sorry." She muttered, looking down. "I just can't stand being here. I honestly think it's making me feel worse."

Jim brought her hand up and kissed it. "I know, honey. We just want you to get better." He said caringly.

"Well can't I get better at home?" Mel begged.

"It's safer for you to be here right now. You've been losing a lot of fluids, so they need to keep you on an IV."

Melinda looked away and pouted. Jim sighed deeply, wishing that he could do more, but he knew that the best thing he could do right now is simply be there with her.

Mel continued to pensively stare away, when suddenly Lucas appeared before her. She glared at him and shook her head with annoyance. _I am so not in the mood for this_. She thought.

"No." Melinda said angrily. "You need to leave."

Jim jumped slightly at Mel's sudden outburst. "Uh… Mel?" He asked cautiously. "Who are you talking to?"

"Lucas." She said to Jim. "He's here."

Jim closed his eyes and braced himself. He knew that this ghost was bad news.

"I need you to help me." Lucas said.

"You're not exactly making that easy for me." Melinda said. "Can't you see that I'm not really in the position to help anyone right now?"

"But they killed me!" Lucas yelled.

Melinda was taken aback for a moment by Lucas's change in tone. She softened hers, and spoke to him more sympathetically. "Who killed you?" She asked softly.

"The brothers." He stated.

_Melinda was back in the fraternity house. She watched as Lucas dropped the now-empty glass on the table. The surrounding guys patted him on the back, laughing and cheering. He swayed a bit, and then stood up and ran to the bathroom. He was retching, throwing up a large volume of the alcohol he had consumed over the course of the night. After a while, he fell to the floor, shaking._

_There was a flash of darkness, and then Melinda was watching the paramedics attend to him. Their voices sounded jumbled, but she made out one of them asking the frat guys how much Lucas had drank. One guy replied, "I don't know. We weren't aware he was drinking. We don't allow minors to participate in drinking parties." Everything was getting blurry. Melinda heard the distant sound of sirens…._

Melinda suddenly became aware of the fact that she was throwing up, hunched over the basin Jim was holding in front of her, and shivering uncontrollably.

"Don't… get…. help…." She managed to choke out.

"Melinda, I…" Jim started to say worriedly before Melinda interrupted him.

"Please." She cried, her voice sounding weak and high pitched.

Jim hesitated for a moment. "Okay." He said softly. "Just keep breathing." He sat beside her on the bed, one arm supporting her back as he waited patiently for her to finish.

After a minute, Melinda felt better. She still couldn't stop shivering, but the nausea was gone. She drank some water, closed her eyes, and took a few deep breaths.

"Mel, I'm sorry, but we're gonna have to tell the doctor about this." Jim told her, compassion evident in his voice.

Melinda shook her head. "No we're not." She said weakly, and then looked at Jim with a smile. "There's nothing wrong with me."

"Mel…" Jim said, in his best 'you're-not-fooling-anybody' voice.

"I swear. I just realized it, but it all makes perfect sense now."

"Then can you please explain it to me, 'cause I'm still completely lost here." Jim told her.

"Lucas died of alcohol poisoning. He was at a frat party, playing some sort of drinking game, and he had way too much." Melinda explained. "The symptoms I have are all things that he felt before he died: the throwing up, shaking, blackouts… He was just trying to show me.'

"Couldn't he have showed you in a way that would have been less terrifying for me to witness?" Jim asked.

Melinda laughed, and Jim hugged her, relieved that she was going to be alright, although still angry at the ghost for causing her so much pain.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: At long last! I know, it's been forever since I updated. This semester has been agonizingly time consuming. I finally have a little bit of a break from all the homework, since it's almost over, so I got a chance to write another chapter. Not sure how great it is, I think I'm getting kinda rusty due to my writing hiatus, so PLEASE review and let me know what you think: if you love it/hate it/think I should just scrap the whole thing. Anyway, here it is:**

* * *

After two more days, Melinda was released from the hospital with strict orders not to return to work for a week, and to take it easy in the meantime. If it were up to her, she'd be jumping right back into her normal routine, but Jim simply wouldn't allow it.

It was late evening and Melinda and Jim were lying together on the couch in the living room. There was a fire burning in the fireplace, and the sound of the crackling wood was the only noise in the room other than the sound of their steady breathing. Melinda's head was resting on Jim's chest, and he was running his fingers through her hair affectionately. She was beginning to fall asleep when she felt a breeze, and the fire suddenly went out. She shivered and lifted her head to look towards the fireplace.

In front of the fireplace stood Lucas, staring at Melinda. "Are you gonna help me yet? You said you would help me." He said roughly. As he spoke, the room grew colder.

"What was that?" Jim asked. "Did we leave a window open?"

"No." Melinda said distantly. "We're not alone." She slowly got up and walked over to where Lucas was standing. "How can I help you?" She asked. "Who do you need me to talk to?"

Lucas looked behind him, toward the fireplace, and then looked back at Melinda. Then, he disappeared and the logs spontaneously reignited in a small explosion of fire. Mel jumped, and then she spotted something on the floor right in front of her. She crouched down to pick it up. It was a photo of the guys from her vision. Behind them was a banner that read: Phi Rho Sigma 2008. She was staring at the picture when Jim came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. The sudden contact startled her, and she let out a small gasp.

"Are you alright?" Jim asked, looking at her carefully.

Melinda nodded. "Yeah." She whispered. "Look at this."

Jim look over her shoulder at the picture. "Where… Did that come from?" He asked warily.

"Lucas must have left it for me. I guess these are the guys I need to talk to."

* * *

The following day, Melinda and Jim went to Rockland University to pay the fraternity boys a visit. It took hours of begging on Mel's part for Jim to allow her to go, but he finally gave in, on the condition that he was going with her. In the car on the way there, Melinda tried to figure out how she was going to get the guys to talk to her.

"How am I gonna do this?" Melinda asked Jim. "I mean, I can't exactly just come out and say 'hey! I know what you did last summer!' and expect them to confess everything to me."

Jim chuckled. "I'm sure you'll find something. You've never had too many problems getting people to talk before."

"Yeah." Mel said. "I guess you're right."

"Just do what you usually do" Jim suggested, "say you're a friend of Lucas, make up some reason why you'd need to talk to them, and let your good looks and charm do the rest."

"Thanks, Jim!" Mel said sarcastically, slapping Jim on the arm as he laughed. "You're a lot of help."

"Well, I try." Jim said, grinning.

A few minutes later, Melinda was knocking on the door of the frat house with Jim by her side.

"Well here goes nothing." She said. Jim put his hand on her shoulder supportively.

A guy that Melinda recognized from the photo Lucas left her answered the door. He looked like he was about 21 years old, wearing a long sleeved fraternity t-shirt and a Rockland University baseball cap.

"Hey. What's up." He said, looking at Melinda and Jim.

"Hi. My name is Melinda, this is my husband Jim. I'm a friend of Lucas Burns, and I was just wondering if I could talk to you about the night he died." Mel said, deciding it was best to be somewhat honest.

The guy looked away and sighed with annoyance. "Look, I've already talked to the police, reporters, and people here at Rockland about what happened. I've got nothing else to say."

"It's okay." Melinda said. "I'm not here to judge, or to blame anyone. I just want to talk." The guy just stared at Melinda coldly for a moment, so she decided to add, "I never got a chance to talk to Lucas one last time before he died… I was just wondering how he was doing."

The guy's expression softened a bit, and he moved aside to let Melinda and Jim into the house. He walked them over to a large sectional couch where they could all sit down.

"So how did you know Lucas?" The guy asked.

"He's a family friend, really. I know his father, Jason." Melinda stated.

Jim thought for a moment, his brow creased in confusion. Then, he made the connection, and looked at Melinda with surprise. Melinda saw Jim's face out of the corner of her eye, and she cursed herself silently. She'd completely forgotten that Jim didn't know that Dr. Burns was Lucas's father. _Oh well. I guess I'll just have to explain myself later…_ She thought.

The guy nodded. "So what do you want to know?"

"How was he doing?" Melinda asked. "In school? Socially? …I mean, I know he died of alcohol poisoning. I'm just trying to understand what would make him do that to himself."

"I have no idea." The guy said grimly. "We didn't know that he had been drinking. We have a pretty strict policy in the house about alcohol and underage drinking."

Just then, Lucas appeared on the other side of the room. Melinda shivered. He looked different than he usually appeared to her… He looked darker, more evil.

"He's a liar." Lucas growled angrily, and a mirror behind him fell off the wall and shattered.

"What the hell?!" The guy exclaimed, and jumped up to look at the broken mirror lying in pieces on the floor.

Melinda and Jim also stood up. Jim looked at Mel, who was staring across the room with a faraway look in her eyes. He grabbed her hand, trying to bring her attention back to him.

"I'm sorry." The guy said. "Weird stuff has been happening here lately. It's crazy."

Melinda's gaze remained fixed on Lucas, who was rapidly pacing on the other side of the room. He kept repeating the same thing over and over again, making her dizzy.

"They're all liars. I'll make them pay. They all are liars. I'll make them pay!"

"What kind of weird stuff?" Jim asked, still holding Melinda's hand.

"Stuff breaking." The guy said. "Things spontaneously flying off the wall. Radios turning on and off by themselves…" The guy kept talking, however his voice was growing low and muffled to Melinda's ears. Her head was throbbing, and Lucas' words continued to echo in her mind. She watched helplessly as Lucas appeared in front of the TV across the room. It was a large flat screen panel, mounted on the wall. Lucas stood beneath it and grinned evilly.

Meanwhile, the guy stopped talking mid-sentence, noticing that Melinda suddenly didn't look well. She was extremely pale, her eyes were glazed over, and she was beginning to sway a bit. Jim noticed as well, and he put his arm around her back in an effort to keep her steady.

"Honey?" Jim asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Is she okay?" The guy asked.

Across the room, the TV suddenly made a loud popping sound and sparks went flying everywhere. Lucas laughed madly, and then abruptly disappeared. It was the last thing Melinda saw before everything went black.

* * *

Jim tried to shield Melinda from the sparks flying across the room. He jumped in front of her and threw his arms around her. Just then, she collapsed right into his arms.

"Mel?!" He cried out, holding her limp body against him. "Melinda!" There was no response.

The sparks from the TV ignited a fire in the corner of the room. The TV itself was up in flames, as well as a shelving unit beneath it; and the fire was spreading quickly. _Shit._ Jim thought, as his instinct to put out the fire kicked in. But at the moment, his wife was more important. "Come on, babe." He whispered. "You're okay." He shifted Melinda's weight in his arms so he was holding her bridal-style and could carry her more easily.

Jim glanced at the fraternity guy, who was just standing there, in shock, looking from the fire, to the unconscious Melinda, and back again. "Get everyone out of the house!" Jim shouted. "Call 9-1-1."

The guy nodded, and ran into another room. Jim rushed out of the house with Melinda and made sure they were a safe distance away before gently placing her on the grass. He cradled her head in his lap, and lightly patted her cheeks.

"Mel? Honey, wake up." He pleaded worriedly. There was still no response. He checked her pulse and breathing. He knew that her condition was probably caused by the ghost, but he couldn't help but worry that it was something else. _I shouldn't have let her come here. _He thought frantically. _She just got out of the hospital. I should have made her stay home and rest. _

He continued trying to wake her, oblivious to everything going on around him. The fire had now spread to the entire 1st floor of the house. All of the boys had evacuated and were standing around the front yard, watching their house burn. A minute later, two fire trucks and an ambulance arrived. Jim's friend and coworker Bobby was working, and he ran over as soon as he spotted Jim and Melinda.

"Jim! What happened?" Bobby asked, crouching down beside him.

"It's an electrical fire… The TV exploded." Jim said quickly. "And Melinda just collapsed. I can't wake her up. She shouldn't have been released from the hospital so soon. I knew I shouldn't have let her come out. I knew it, and…."

Bobby interrupted Jim. "Jim! Calm down. It's gonna be alright. Take a deep breath, she'll be okay." He said, knowing how overprotective Jim was of Melinda. "Is she breathing?"

"Yes." Jim said, his voice cracking a bit. "Her pulse is strong."

"Alright." Bobby said, standing up. "I'm gonna get the stretcher. It'll be alright."

Jim watched his friend run off, and he stroked Melinda's hair and continued softly talking to her. "Please wake up, Mel. I love you…"

* * *

Jim paced the hospital corridor, waiting for any news concerning Melinda. It had only been 15 minutes at most since they'd brought her in, but it felt like days to him. He stopped and looked towards the doors leading to the emergency room when he heard his name being called.

"Jim!" Bobby called out, walking towards him.

"Bobby." Jim said worriedly. "How is she? Is she awake?"

"She's not awake yet." Bobby said, seeing the disappointment and sadness immediately washing over Jim's face. "They're not sure what caused her to pass out… They figure it's just too much stress too soon after being released with her kind of injuries."

Jim shook his head and punched the wall beside him, angry at himself for letting her get into this situation. Bobby jumped a bit at Jim's sudden outburst, and then put his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Hey, man. She's gonna be alright." Bobby said soothingly. "She just needs to rest."

Jim simply nodded. "Ok." He said quietly. "Can I see her now?"

Bobby nodded and showed Jim to Melinda's room. Jim sat down in his usual spot beside her bed, and took her hand in his and kissed it tenderly. No matter how many times he saw her like this: lying in a hospital bed, looking so vulnerable, so small; he could never get used to it. He held her hand tightly, brushed her hair away from her face, and kissed her forehead. Then, all he could do was wait for her to wake up.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: So… I am the WORST person in the FF community! I haven't updated in forever, and I am so, so, sososososoooooo sorry about that. I had a mad case of writers block that has finally passed, so I'm back in the game now! At LONG last, here is a new chapter! I'll also be updating my other story really soon too, so stay tuned for that! Please review!!!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~3 Emily**

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The first thing Melinda was aware of was a monotonous beeping noise coming from somewhere… First it sounded far off, but as her mind cleared she realized that it was nearby. She struggled to open her eyes, but they felt incredibly heavy, and she just felt so weak. Her head was aching, and she let out a soft whimper to protest the pain. Then, she felt someone's hand in hers.

"Mel?"

She heard Jim's voice, laden with concern, coming from beside her. She tried again to open her eyes. She still had difficulty, but they managed to flutter open. At first everything was a blur. The brightness of the room intensified the sharp pain in her head. She winced, and blinked a few times.

"Jim…?" She whispered faintly. "What happened? Where am I?"

Jim smoothed her hair away from her forehead and looked at her closely, his blue eyes conveying the intense combination of love and worry he was feeling at the moment.

"You're at the hospital… Again. You fainted at the fraternity house."

Melinda simply groaned her displeasure, causing Jim to laugh and shake his head. Then his smile faded as he thought for a moment.

"Mel… Does this ghost ever plan to stop torturing you? Cause I have to admit, I can't take much more of this. And more importantly, neither can you…."

Melinda sighed and squeezed Jim's hand. "I know." She said softly. "I just don't know what to do. He won't let up. There's just so much anger and hatred coming from him…." She paused for a moment, thinking. "There's got to be some way…."

"Some way to what?" Jim asked.

"Well, he wants people to know how he died; that it was the frat boys who made him drink that much." Mel said, more to herself than Jim. "Clearly, they won't come out and admit it. But maybe I can find some kind of evidence…"

"Well if you were thinking of going back to that house, think again." Jim said. "For one, I don't think it would be a good idea…. Anyway, I doubt much of anything is left after that fire."

"Fire?" Melinda asked, confused.

"Yeah… Right after you collapsed, the TV…. pretty much spontaneously combusted. Set the whole house on fire." Jim said casually.

Melinda shook her head. "That wasn't spontaneous combustion. That was Lucas." She stated matter-of-factly.

"I thought the spontaneous combustion theory was too good to be true." Jim mumbled. "How is this ghost so powerful? He's hurt you, not once, but several times now. He burns a house down. I don't even want to know what happens next."

Melinda simply looked at Jim. He let out a long exasperated breath.

"I don't like this, Mel." Jim said. "Not one bit. I've seen ghosts mess with you before… but never like this. It's out of control."

Melinda wasn't sure why, but she suddenly felt tears pricking the back of her eyes. She knew Jim was right, but what could she do? Even if she wanted to give up on Lucas, she had a feeling he still wouldn't leave her alone. The only way out was to get him to cross over. The tears began to fall, and she let out a hitched breath.

"I can't stop it." Melinda sobbed. "I got myself into this, and now the only thing I can do is finish it. I have to get him into the light."

Jim leaned in closer and brushed away her tears with one finger. "Hey…." He said quietly. "Honey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…. Please don't cry."

Melinda sniffled and grabbed Jim's hand. "You're right. It **is** out of control, and I don't like it either, but I can't…. I can't…." Melinda couldn't finish her sentence. She was crying so hard it was hard to catch her breath.

Jim pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms around her. She cried against his chest as he soothingly stroked her back, whispering in her ear.

"Shh…. It's alright." He said quietly. "It's okay."

Melinda's sobbing died down to small sniffles as she began to relax in Jim's embrace. He rocked her slowly and trailed light kisses along the top of her head until her breathing evened out. Melinda hugged Jim tightly and took a deep breath. A knock on the door started both of them. Jim turned around quickly. The guy from the fraternity house stood in the doorway.

"I'm sorry…" The guy said, shifting nervously. "I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Melinda smiled weakly. "I'm alright." She said softly. "Are you?"

The guy looked down at his feet. "Yeah… I'm…. I'm okay."

After a brief moment of awkward silence, Jim cleared his throat and spoke: "Sorry, I don't think we ever caught your name."

"Oh." The guy said. "Yeah, I'm Brian."

"Brian, how is the house? Was the damage bad?" Jim asked.

Brian shrugged. "I guess it can be fixed. Insurance'll cover it. We're gonna have to stay somewhere else though while it's being worked on."

"No one was hurt, were they?" Melinda asked softly.

"Well, besides you, no." Brian said.

Melinda smiled. "Well, that's good."

"So…" Brian started. "Um. What happened in there? Am I crazy or was that all just really…. Random?"

Jim chuckled and Melinda lightly slapped his arm. "You're not crazy." She said. "And it wasn't exactly random either."

Brian raised an eyebrow in confusion, eliciting a sigh from Melinda.

"Brian…" She began. "I'm not sure what kind of things you believe in. But, you know how you were talking about the strange stuff that's been going on in the house?"

"Yeah…?" Brian replied.

"Has it, by chance, been going on since Lucas died?" Mel asked.

"Actually, yeah. Why do you…..?" Brian trailed off as realization hit him. "Wait." He continued softly. "Wait a minute. You don't think it's Lucas doing this, do you? Like, his ghost or something? You think we're being haunted by Lucas?!"

Melinda and Jim just looked at each other.

"Whoa." Brian said. "Dude! I knew it!"

Melinda's forehead wrinkled in surprise. "You… knew it?"

"Well, I mean… It was just too much of a coincidence, you know? All of that started happening right after the funeral. It never happened before. It just kind of makes sense."

"You may be the coolest haunted person we've talked to in awhile." Jim joked.

Brian laughed, but then grew serious again. "So, what do we do?"

"We have to get Lucas to cross over." Melinda explained.

"Cross over?" Brian asked.

"Go into the light. Find peace."

Brian nodded in understanding. Then, there was another knock at the door.

"Melinda... I'm seeing a lot of you lately." Said Dr. Burns as he walked into the room. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Brian. "Brian. What are you doing here?"

Melinda's stomach sank. She was going to have to tell Dr. Burns everything…

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**A/N: Sorry if the chap was a bit boring. I promise there's great things coming up. More Mel torture and evilness is headed our way =)**


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